How or what did Martin Luther King Jr. do to help the bridge of selma? And how did he help with the bloody sunday on march 7, 1965?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr.
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Martin Luther King Jr. played a crucial role in the civil rights movement and made significant contributions to the events that took place in Selma, Alabama. To understand his involvement in the Selma bridge and Bloody Sunday, we need to provide some historical context.
In the 1960s, African Americans in the United States faced widespread racial segregation, discrimination, and voter suppression. Selma, Alabama, was one of many places where African Americans were denied their basic civil rights, particularly the right to vote. The local authorities and segregationist groups actively obstructed African Americans from registering to vote.
Martin Luther King Jr., along with other civil rights activists and organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), organized several pivotal events in Selma to draw attention to the issue and push for change.
One of the key events was "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965. Nearly 600 peaceful marchers, led by civil rights activists including John Lewis and Hosea Williams, attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma with the goal of marching to the state capital of Montgomery to demand voting rights for African Americans. However, they were met with violent resistance from state troopers who brutally attacked the marchers with batons, tear gas, and horses. The violence of that day shocked the nation and garnered widespread media coverage, amplifying the urgency for voting rights reform.
Martin Luther King Jr., who was not present on the bridge that day, played a crucial role in organizing and supporting the subsequent actions. Following Bloody Sunday, he called for clergy and supporters from across the country to join in solidarity with the Selma activists. As a result, thousands of protesters, both black and white, came to Selma to participate in subsequent marches.
On March 9, a second march took place but was stopped at the bridge out of fear for a repeat of the violence. Instead of pushing forward, Martin Luther King Jr. led the group in prayer and then turned back, a decision that later became known as "Turnaround Tuesday."
However, the events on Bloody Sunday and the widespread public outrage it generated created immense pressure on President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation. On August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, providing significant protection for the voting rights of African Americans and dismantling many of the discriminatory practices.
To summarize, Martin Luther King Jr. played a crucial role in organizing and mobilizing people around the issue of voting rights in Selma. He leveraged peaceful protests, public advocacy, and strategic planning to bring national attention to the cause. Ultimately, his efforts, combined with other activists and the brave individuals who marched on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, helped pave the way for significant voting rights reforms in the United States.